I FLIGHT International, 28 March 1963 4n
Q Straight and ve I
FROM Dr A. E. Russell's 10th Barn well Memorial Lecture, Reflections on Metal Aircraft:—
"So far as the manufacturers are con
cerned the only really successful airliners
have been those timed to show a distinct
competitive advantage over existing types
... A short list would include the Viscount,
the 707 and the DC-8, with the Friendship
and Caravelle as runners up. . .
"The Britannia had the basic qualifica
tions . . . but the opportunity was lost by a
delay of two years spent in fighting com
binations of all the classical elements: fire
and water, air and water, earth and water.
The latter mixture was thrown recklessly
in a brawl with an impatient customer."
• The BOAC shop stewards at London
Airport accuse BOAC management of "a
deplorable lack of leadership." The fact
that BOAC have so many aeroplanes lying
idle while the independents are flying thou
sands of hours in older aircraft is "a na
tional scandal." They declare: "There
never was a place for the private operator
in civil air transport . . . Once again . . .
we appeal to BOAC's management to
make a joint effort with us to expose the
scandalous position in British civil air
transport."
* * *
"Good morning, gentlemen. 1 have
called this meeting at your request for
; the purpose of exposing the scandalous
position in British air transport. May 1
have your agreement to publish the follow
ing five-point Master Plan ?
"(1) The Government should ground all
Britain's private airlines and direct BOAC
and BEA to employ their workers.
"(2) Get BOAC's idle aircraft in the air
by flying nasty capitalist independent air-
: line directors to the remotest possible
corners of the Earth.
"(3) Put every possible emphasis at all
times on the party-political, class-warfare,
national-prestige nature of air transport.
"(4) Sack all BOAC and BEA directors
and management—we're all a lot of Tories
anyway.
"(5) Put BOAC's shop stewards in all
posts thus vacated."
• "The British Government appears to
be raising a partial security curtain around
the WG.681 . . . The aircraft is not a
combat vehicle in the fighter/bomber sense,
and reasons for withholding information are
obscure." From Interavia Air Letter.
Clearly these poor Interavia chaps just
don't understand. Let me explain.
Security, together with its hand-maiden
Pointless Secrecy, is an end in itself, to be
espoused and worshipped with pure,
unquestioning devotion. Among its high
priests and acolytes are the various mini
stries responsible for British aviation,
defence and the Services (it would of course
be quite beastly to suggest that Security
is maintained because it comes in handy
for ministers who are hard-Pressed).
It is high time that these inquisitive
Press blighters had more respect for Secu
rity. I can't tell you why they ought to
have more respect, ] am afraid, because
that is a secret.
Seriously though, there are one or two
enlightened people in the Ministry of Avia
tion who are trying to get things changed.
• There are also people in the aircraft
industry who have progressive ideas about
information. The British Aircraft Corpora
tion doctrine seems to be: If you have a
problem speak about it frankly. Tell the
truth. This is going to come out in the end
anyway, and meanwhile secrecy and half-
truths only foster rumour, sensation,
gossip and lies.
BAC have a VC10 problem. So they tell
the Press about it—but not in the form of
one of those exercises in "off the record,
non-attributable" PR-manship.
The company's chief engineer, chief test
pilot and general manager sat down with
the Press in a prefab hut on Wisley airfield
"Runway in sight, sir'
' ' . •'•'•'' ".: '•' •'•.'"
and just gave straight answers to straight
questions, having previously flown them
in the aircraft and shown them its attri
butes (see pages 425 and 426).
The company may have been a little
nervous about the way the Press would
respond to this frankness. But 1 don't
think they were disappointed with the
treatment. One big-circulation paper didn't
touch the story at all.
• Sir Morose Peevish, dynamic chair
man of Knocking Aircraft Ltd, last week
issued the following statement:—
"We are astonished to hear rumours that
TWA are contemplating the purchase of
Scruggs SA.421 Profitliners. As every
one knows this aircraft is completely
inferior to our own product, the Knocking
Aircraft KA.169 Fred-Jet, which is the
ideal choice for TWA and every other air
line. The Scruggs SA.421 Profitliner is
down on performance, late on delivery,
up in price and generally completely unable
even to get off the ground. Not only that,
but it is not fitted with Knocking's exclu
sive elastic Blinge system.
"Beyond this we do not wish to comment,
as we have no desire to become embroiled
in a public slanging match."
* * *
Note to Editors: Sir Morose Peevish
will be holding a private Press conference
—on an off-the-record, non-attributable
basis of course—at Glasshouse Mansions,
Wl, this evening at 7 p.m. For further
information in the meantime contact
Barrie Lunchby, Freedrinks and Handout
Ltd, telephone PROspect 237.
• On May 1, 1960. a Lockheed U-2
piloted by Frances Gary Powers, an em
ployee of the US Central Intelligence
Agency, descended to the ground near
Sverdlovsk. This we know.
Yet we still read stories that the U-2
was too high to be shot down . . . that it
suffered a flameout and had to descend,
and was then shot down at a lower level . . .
that Powers was a traitor, and bailed out
deliberately. . .etc,etc,etc.
Now we have the best story of the lot.
The Russians actually fired three missiles,
you see: one hit the U-2, the second missed,
and the third destroyed a Russian fighter
piloted by a major in the Soviet Air Force.
He mast have been livid.
• Talking the other day about the Chan
nel Tunnel and its effect on the air ferry
companies, I was reminded of the tunnel
engineer's standard answer to the popular
question: "How do you make sure that the
two sections of the tunnel meet in the
middle?"
His answer: "That's our problem.
Anyway, if they didn't meet in the middle
you'd get two tunnels for the price of one."
ROGER BACON